News
Snow removal operations in Rosslyn (courtesy Adrienne Salyards)

Senator Loves Arlington Outback — “Sen. Jim Justice’s favorite place to eat steak in the DMV isn’t one of the many swanky restaurants scattered across Washington… It’s an unassuming Outback Steakhouse tucked in a strip mall in the suburbs of Arlington, Virginia, where he and his constant canine companion, Babydog, a very plump English bulldog, have a regular table.” [NOTUS]

New Development Proposal — “Caruthers Properties wants to add a 15-story building at its Potomac Towers apartment complex in Arlington, just the latest example of infill development at midcentury mutltifamily projects across the county. The company’s land use attorney, Venable LLP, filed a conceptual site plan on Friday proposing the 310-unit building at 2001 N. Adams St., a massive property sitting between Interstate 66 and Langston Boulevard.” [WBJ]

Trash Collection Update — “Due to post-snow storm conditions, regular Friday residential curbside collection service will operate in a limited capacity on Jan. 30. Crews will ONLY collect trash and recycling carts. Please have carts placed at the curb by 6:30 a.m. Friday; we recognize that space may be challenging due to sidewalk conditions… If your carts are not collected by late afternoon, do not report it as a missed collection. Carts that are not collected will be serviced next Friday.” [Arlington County]

Midair Crash, One Year Later — “On the evening of January 29, 2025, an American Airlines passenger jet and a Black Hawk military helicopter collided over the Potomac River. The crash killed 67 people – everyone aboard both aircraft. The grief for the dozens of lives lost in the disaster reverberated around the D.C. region, and up and down the East Coast.” [WAMU]

Victims’ Belongings Recovered — “The brown teddy bear smelled like oil and jet fuel. It was tucked inside the pink backpack of 11-year-old Alydia Livingston, along with her headphones, journal and a pencil topped with a rubber unicorn. The backpack and its contents came home to her grandparents in Richmond. Alydia didn’t.” [Washington Post]

Alexandria Memorial Planned — “A new memorial in Alexandria will honor the lives of the 67 people killed in last year’s midair collision over the Potomac River, which happened one year ago today. A bench, newly planted trees and plaque bearing the names of the 67 victims will be installed on the Potomac waterfront on the northeastern portion of Rivergate Park, Mayor Alyia Gaskins announced.” [ALXnow]

Robbery Near Columbia Pike — “The female victim was in the area when the male suspect approached her from behind, implied a weapon, stole her bag and subsequently fled the scene. The victim suffered minor injuries and was transported to an area hospital for evaluation.” [ACPD]

Poll on Va. Amendments — “A slim majority of Virginia voters supports a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would let Democratic lawmakers draw new, blue-leaning congressional districts ahead of this fall’s midterm elections, according to a new poll… The poll shows even stronger support for two other proposed amendments to the state constitution that are priorities of Democratic lawmakers.” [Washington Post]

Little Snow, Lots of Wind — “While the snow probably misses the DMV, gusty winds generated by the storm — gusts near 25 to 50 mph — will likely drop our wind chills into the single digits to near or bit below zero for much of the period from Saturday evening through Monday morning.” [CWG/X]

It’s Friday — Expect mostly sunny skies and a high of around 21 degrees during the day, with wind chill values dropping as low as -1 due to a 6 mph northwest wind. Tonight will be mostly cloudy, with a low of around 9 degrees. [NWS]


Around Town

Good Thursday evening, Arlington. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.

🕗 News recap

The following articles were published earlier today — Jan 29, 2026.

📅 Upcoming events

Here is what’s going on Friday in Arlington, from our event calendar.

☀️ Friday’s forecast

Expect mostly sunny skies and a high of around 21 degrees during the day, with wind chill values dropping as low as -1 due to a 6 mph northwest wind. The night will be mostly cloudy, seeing a low of around 9 degrees, identical wind chill values, and a calm wind that will shift to north at around 6 mph after midnight. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“The only way to achieve the impossible is to believe it is possible.”
– Charles Kingsleigh

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

The MonumentCam screenshot above is used with permission of the Trust for the National Mall and courtesy of EarthCam.

Thanks for reading! If you have something to say about an issue of local note not covered today, feel free to post it as a letter to the editor on our new forum.


News

WASHINGTON (AP) — For some, it was the children’s luggage and small ice skates that became indelible memories of the night a passenger plane and a helicopter collided over the murky Potomac River. Others remember boats navigating debris and shallow water to bring victims’ bodies ashore. And there was the suddenness: people seconds from landing, gone.

Families of those on board American Airlines Flight 5342 and an Army Black Hawk helicopter are marking Thursday as the one-year anniversary of the deadliest plane crash on U.S. soil in more than 20 years. Another group is reliving that night and the days, weeks and months that followed: the emergency responders who dove repeatedly into the river with nearly zero visibility, braving cold water, jet fuel and jagged wreckage in the hope of rescuing survivors.


News

A coalition of progressive prosecutors including Arlington’s commonwealth’s attorney is promising to share strategies and pursue accountability for any illegal actions by federal agents.

Commonwealth’s Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti — alongside Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano and prosecutors from Minneapolis, Philadelphia and other jurisdictions — announced the Fight Against Federal Overreach (FAFO) project yesterday (Wednesday). The initiative aims to “rein in unlawful conduct” amid a growing presence of federal immigration and law enforcement in communities across the country.


Event

Commemorate the country’s 250th anniversary of the United States of America at Civic Jam! Celebrate the City of Falls Church’s diverse community, civic engagement, and classic summer fun. Jam out to live, local music, sip on local brews, enjoy tasty treats and eats, and a full evening of festivities for all ages on Friday, July 3, 2026, from 6 to 10 p.m.

Play, connect, and earn points throughout the evening in the Civic Cup Competition with activities ranging from sack races and relays to collaborative community art and trivia in the beer garden. No pre-registration required, assemble a team of four, pick up a Civic Cup scorecard, and compete for the Civic Cup Trophy!


News

A new art space next to Jennie Dean Park is almost complete and scheduled to open to the public this spring.

Crews are currently putting the finishing touches on the 2700 Art Space project at 2700 S. Nelson Street, which began construction last August, said Alyson Jordan Tomaszewski, a spokesperson for Arlington’s Department of Environmental Services.


News

A planned beer garden and Korean street food restaurant in Crystal City has received more time to address code and permitting issues as it continues working toward opening.

County Board members have extended the existing use permit for Scapegoat Beer Garden for six months before it returns to staff for further review.


News

A “full-scale emergency response exercise” will be taking place at Wakefield High School and Carlin Springs Elementary School tomorrow (Friday).

Emergency responders and vehicles will be present at Carlin Springs Elementary and nearby Kenmore Middle School from 6:30 a.m.-2 p.m. as personnel coordinate responses to a simulated act of violence.


News

Arlington has claimed the crown in a new ranking of the most educated “cities” in the United States.

A new report from Northern Kentucky University found that 41.8% of Arlington residents over age 25 have a graduate degree — the highest number in the nation, above 38.3% of D.C. residents and 32% of residents in the Bay Area city of Fremont.


News

Del. Alfonso Lopez (D-3) is proposing several pieces of legislation to place restrictions on federal immigration enforcement in Virginia, including at sensitive locations like schools and polling places.

One bill introduced by Lopez would prohibit federal immigration enforcement within 40 feet of polling places, as well as near local electoral board locations to certify or recount election results. Activities like loitering and handing political materials are already restricted within 40 feet of polling places, but immigration enforcement is not explicitly mentioned under current Virginia law.